Tangled
by GeekRyuu
Summary: Sam's been having a tough day. Post-Reckoning tag. CONTAINS SPOILERS.


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Tangled

by Ryuu

Rating: PG-13 (langage, mild violence)

Set: S8, post-Reckoning (Spoilers ahead!)

Keywords: Angst, UST, Sam/Jack

Distribution: Anywhere as long as my name stays attached

Notes: Jack and Sam wanted to go all shippy in this. And then they wanted to go porny. (makes a face)Freakin' smut-puppies. (pokes them)Not everything can be fixed by having angry sex against a wall, kids! Anyway, thanks to ChaosAngel1221 and ALC Punk! for general fabulous supportiveness and to Lyss for the title.

Enjoy!

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"Hey, uh, Carter?" Jack poked his head tentatively into her lab, finding her busily studying some doohickey.

"Sir."

Jack blinked at the frosty reply, wondering if the temperature in the room really had just dropped several degrees.

He looked at her for a long moment, then walked into the lab and shut the door.

"Carter? You okay?"

"Great, sir," she said shortly. "I couldn't be better."

"Carter-"

"I have work to do, sir," she interrupted, not looking at him. "So, if you don't mind-"

"Carter." The baffled General put his hand gently on her forearm. "Look, earlier, I was-"

He didn't get to finish his reply before Carter's fist slammed into his jaw, knocking him on his ass.

Jack gasped, touching his jaw to make sure it wasn't broken, before he looked up at her in shock. "Carter, what the hell was that?"

"Get. Out. Of. My Lab." She glared at him.

"Have you lost your mind?" he snapped.

"Yes. Now get the fuck out. Sir."

"Carter..." He got to his feet, wincing slightly.

"Don't think I won't hit you again," she warned.

"What's wrong with you?" he asked, starting to reach for her and suddenly thinking better of it.

"Like you care," she muttered. She pushed past him and walked to the door.

"Sam." He followed her. "Where are you going?"

She spun around to glare at him furiously. "Coffee, sir. Since I can't work here in peace, I'm going to get coffee."

"Sam-"

"And I'm sure you have all sorts of vital paperwork to do," she shot at him.

Stung, Jack reached out and caught her wrist. "What the fuck is your problem?"

"I could ask you the exact same question!" She raised her hand, but he caught her other wrist before she could hit him again. "Let. Me. Go."

"No." His eyes filled with anger. "First I want to know why you're doing this."

"If you weren't so damn blind, you'd've seen that ages ago!" She yanked her wrists free and wrapped them around his neck before giving him a hard, angry kiss.

Jack pulled away, gasping. "Carter, what the hell-"

"You don't give a crap, do you?" Her voice shook. "I was trying to tell you and you just...did _paperwork_."

"...is this about Daniel?"

"No!" She pushed away from him, and leaned against the wall, her shoulders slumping in defeat. "Dammit, just go."

He touched her shoulder cautiously. "Look-"

"Go," she muttered, her voice still shaking.

Jack looked down at her for a moment before wrapping his arms around her and pulling against his chest. "C'mere."

She let out a soft, gasping sob and burrowed against him. "I really hate you, you know."

"I know," he whispered, pulling her closer. "It's okay."

"It is _not_ okay," she whispered, her voice muffled by his shoulder.

Jack's arms tightened around her. "It's gonna be okay," he amended.

Sam blinked, desperately trying not to cry in front of him. Jack seemed to sense her distress this time, and just held her, occasionally rubbing his hand over her back soothingly.

"Sir…"

He kissed the top of her head. "We're gonna be okay, Carter."

"Yes, sir," she whispered, looking up and managing to give him a small, shaky attempt at a smile.

He nodded and leaned in to press a quick, gentle kiss to her forehead. "And we're goin' to find Daniel."

"Yeah." She nodded. "We always do."

Jack's hand cupped her cheek as he studied her face for a long moment. "We still friends?"

She nodded. "Yeah. Um…sorry about your jaw." She reached up, her fingertips hovering a few centimeters over the still-faint bruise.

He shook his head. "Probably had it coming for years now," he said frankly and grinned. "Good arm, Carter."

She flushed. "Thanks."

Jack's hold on her loosened, his hands moving to rest on her shoulders. "Feelin' better?"

"Yeah." Sam nodded.

"You, uh, mind if I go?" he asked softly.

_I'll stay if you need me to._ Even though he didn't say it, she still understood.

So, she nodded again, managing another small smile. "I'll be okay. Thanks."

He leaned and hesitantly kissed her forehead again. "Of course you will." He sighed and turned to go. "I'll see you later, all right?"

"Sir?"

He looked back. "Yeah?"

"I don't, you know."

"What?"

She bit at her lower lip. "Hate you."

"Yeah, I know." He nodded and slipped out.

Sam stared at the door for a moment, then turned back to her work.


End file.
